My wife loves her G26. Out of the two I would go with the G26. My wife looked at the M&P shield and the first thing she said was if I needed to pull my gun for anything the last thing I need to worry about was a manual safety...

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My father, who is quite elderly, has a CW, and a CM, whichever one is smaller, he has issues, with both the take down, and chambering with it. I haven't even seen a shield, just heard the take down for some reason, wasn't simplistic. Again just what I heard.

Nothing wrong with any of the above mentioned, but if this is going to be shot, a lot, my vote would go for the Glock G26. Again just my opinion, and you did mention she liked it!

I was at the range yesterday and the woman in the lane next to my was shooting a few different semi-autos. I didn't think she was going to be able to get that Kahr slide back but she did...eventually. She then shot a sub-compact Glock and a compact Glock with MUCH better results. Looked like a G26 and a G19 but I'm not sure.

The point is... What looks or feels right to her might not be the best option if she can't operate it well.

p.s. Don't forget the small revolver option. Many women shoot and operate them better than a small semi-auto.

I was in a similar situation earlier this year with my wife. We looked at and shot several different makes/models but when she handled the Gen 4 G26 she said “this is it”.

I paid close attention to how she handled her new G26 on our first range outing, seeing she was transitioning from a revolver, she did have some difficulties with racking the slide and using the slide release when reloading a new mag, these issues were overcame with a 14 lbs. RSA and teaching her to “push/pull” the slide at chest high. In addition the RSA I added a 3.5 lbs. connector and a 6 lbs. trigger spring, bringing the trigger pull down to about 4 lbs. which is close to what her revolver is at.

She gets more proficient/accurate at each range outing. With about 1000 rounds of light reloads down range, she handles her G26 quite well, no hesitation with reloading, racking the slide and bringing the weapon onto target, she understands and uses the trigger reset and is able to hold a 6” group at 7 yards.

Next outing we will start using standard velocity ball ammo, a few hundred rounds and we will start using defense loads, I’m sure she will do fine, she has shot handguns from a very young age but this is her first semi-auto bigger than a 22 lr.
The point of this was to show how she picked her weapon, but I was able to make it more “user friendly” for her while she was learning to use it, that is probably the main reason for the G26 or a Glock in general, easily customized to an individual’s needs, and easily returned to stock if needed.

Very good point, by the time I broke in my CM9 my hands were like hamburger. It took 300 rounds to get it reliable, never trusted it. Not only are the recoil springs stiff, but the serrations on the slide are very sharp. Kahr mags are very poor quality, rough on the hands again. Not familiar with the Shield, but after a CM9 my 26 felt like a Lexus. If she can handle the thickness of the 26 it is a much better option in my opinion.

The M&P Shield is definitely worth looking at for your wife. If you ultimately decide against it because of the safety, then that is fine. I myself like the safety for my CCW gun. The chances are low, not zero, but still low that I would ever need to draw my gun thus I am more comfortable carrying with a round in the chamber with the safety.

I have hunted for years so taking off a safety to shoot is second nature to me, The Shield has an excellent safety on it - well placed with a positive click.

Safeties are something everyone has a different opinion on. For my home defense guns - absolutely no safety. For my CCW - a safety, as long as it's a good one - I actually like. Again though, everyone's opinion varies based on need and experience.

I don't have a Glock mini or a Shield, so can't comment. I do have a Kahr CW9 and a Glock 19 Gen 4 (just bought). I like them both.

I don't know haw many rounds A Kahr CW9 can shoot before needing service, but it is well into the tens of thousands, so I would not call this a "disposable" gun. People have done this. Most people wouldn't shoot it that much as it's not really designed to be a target pistol.

The Kahr is surprisingly comfortable to shoot. The feed ramp is offset, lowering the slide and barrel. That plus the grip design make for good ergos, at least for me. I do have to say that when the polymer framed Kahr's first came out, ten years or so back, I tried them and had major problems. They seem to have ironed them out. The Kahr is a little harder to strip than the Glock, but what isn't? And the Kahr has an amazingly smooth, although somewhat long trigger pull. The slide on the Kahr is not hard to strip, although again not quite as easy as the Glock. The frame on the Kahr is a bear to detail strip. But the good news is you probably would never need to. Spray it out with some Gun Scrubber and relube a couple of points and you're good to go.

The Kahr recoil spring is very stiff. It has to be as the slide weighs very little. And the feed angle is rather steep, so slingshoting the first round is tricky but not impossible. Releasing the slide stop has never failed to chamber a first round for me.

I don't think Kahrs are for everyone. But they are not cheap guns. They are as well made (in the USA) as anything out there I think. Because they are so small and light they do have limitations, but I am happy with mine. I don't expect target pistol accuracy with such a short sight radius, but it will outshoot any snubby I've owned in spades. It's major virtue is its ability to be concealed where few other pistols can be, and its ability to shoot harder and more accurately than anything I know of that is that small and light. I was quite amazed, actually, to see Hickok45 hitting his gong at 80 yards with a PM9, even smaller than the CW9!

Last Summer I bought my Kahr CW9 and a Glock 19 Gen 4 early production. I was unaware of the issues with Gen 4 Glocks - had had a 19 before and assumed it would be OK. I had had serious issues with 4 straight Kahr's ten years ago, and was expecting to have to work to make it work. I was quite surprised when the Kahr ran like a Swiss watch out of the box and the Glock was a jamamatic. I got rid of the Glock - recently got another one of recent manufacture, which has been fine so far.

Don't know if all this rambling will help. The best advise is to have her shoot the guns she is considering before buying anything.

Let her get the one she wants. It is her hand that has to fit well. I have a G26 and a Kahr P9 Covert. I use the Kahr for summer work attire carry. I thought the grip was too thin and added a Hogue Handall to it, and it is now super comfortable. In my opinion, the Kahrs are high quality pistols. But in the end, I like my G26 better.